Metcalf & Eddy was resolving the problems of drainage, flood control and pollution caused by stormwater run-off long before the EPA issued regulations requiring large municipalities and certain industries to have stormwater discharge permits. Moreover, M&E served as a technical advisor to the EPA in the development of both the national CSO and SSO policies. We led the team that developed the Stormwater Management Model (SWMM) for EPA and have continued to refine and update the model ever since.

M&E's scientists and engineers develop effective stormwater management plans to control or eliminate run-off. Storage facilities for stormwater run-off control include in-line and off-line retention, and detention facilities. We've also designed end-of-pipe treatments, including disinfection and physical, chemical and biological methods alone or in combinations. The company also performs sampling, analysis and laboratory testing and prepares permits on the client's behalf.

M&E's approach to stormwater control rests on detailed system modeling that simulates performance under a wide range of circumstances and generates an accurate picture of flows and loads. Our experience teaches us that only by thoroughly defining how a system responds to fluctuating wet weather flow can the most efficient response be developed.

The more communities can maximize system storage and transport capacity, the more they can hold down ongoing wet weather compliance costs. Our strategy focuses first on optimizing the existing infrastructure in terms of conveyance, treatment and storage capacities. In conjunction with relatively low-cost system improvements, such as raising weir heights and removing hydraulic bottlenecks, this optimization can significantly reduce the scale of a community's wet weather problems.